Aransas County Attorney's Office

08/14/2026

DISTRICT CORUT JURY TRIALS:

JURIES FIND DEFENDANTS GUILTY OF BURGLARY OF HABITATION AND AGGRAVATED ASSAULT

Over the past couple of months, two defendants have chosen to have an Aransas County Jury determine guilt or innocence but decided to have the Court assess punishment.

THE STATE OF TEXAS VS. DAVID WILKINSON

The first is David Wilkinson, pictured on the left. Wilkinson was charged with Burglary of a Habitation with Intent to Commit a Felony. The evidence showed that on January 20, 2024, law enforcement responded at approximately 4:11 p.m. to the area where Wilkinson lived. At the time, Wilkinson was wearing a black long sleeve shirt with a Jolly Roger, jeans that were covered in paint, boots, a ball cap and sunglasses. At 6:25pm that same day, law enforcement responded to a call in the area which Wilkinson lived. There, they found that a victim in the area had been burned by fire on his face and head by two men. Surveillance footage showed Wilkinson (wearing the same items of clothing as before but with his face covered) leading his co-defendant Dathan Faulkner to the victim’s front door. Faulkner had a torch with him.

The surveillance footage showed Wilkinson knocking on the door, luring the victim out of the home so Faulkner could light his face and head on fire. In the video, the two co-defendants walk away, but Wilkinson then goes back and tries to break the door down. Wilkinson also broke a window to try to reach into the door to open it. On June 3, 2026, an Aransas County Jury found Wilkinson guilty.

Sentencing was later held in front of Judge Starr Bauer on June 26, 2026. At sentencing, the Court heard that Wilkinson had extensive criminal history in Louisiana and Texas, in addition to committing other crimes while on bond for this case. Judge Starr Bauer sentenced Wilkinson to 25 years in prison.
Previously, in April of 2025, Wilkinson’s co-defendant Dathan Faulkner pled guilty to his role in this crime and agreed to be sentenced to 15 years in prison.

THE STATE OF TEXAS VS. ALLEN LONGORIA

Allen Christopher Longoria is pictured on the right. On August 13, 2026, an Aransas County Jury found him guilty of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. The evidence showed that, on October 28, 2025, law enforcement was called by Longoria’s mother. His mother stated that she thought Longoria was overdosing and that she was having trouble with him. In the 911 call, Longoria’s mother stated that Longoria had a very large pipe and was trying to hit her with it. When deputies arrived at the scene, Longoria was wielding a 4-foot pipe that was later determined to be the lever to a hydraulic jack. He asked for deputies to shoot him. When the deputies advised they were not going to shoot him, Longoria tried to negotiate to get the deputies to at least tase him. The deputies were able to get Longoria to drop the metal pipe and were able to restrain him. When EMS arrived to evaluate Longoria, Longoria admitted he had smoked a bowl of m**h.

On scene, Longoria’s mother told deputies that Longoria was banging on a vehicle and she told him to stop. This led to Longoria grabbing a metal pipe, coming at her and saying, “I’m going to hit you, *explicative*.” Longoria’s mother then showed deputies the metal pipe Longoria used to threaten her with. Longoria’s mother filed an affidavit of non-prosecution. At trial, Longoria’s mother changed her story to som**hing completely different from what she told deputies on scene. At punishment, Judge Susan Reed sentenced Longoria to 10 years prison.

We would like to thank the jurors for making their community a safer place. We would also like to thank the Aransas County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work in both of these cases.

07/31/2026

07/03/2026

06/25/2026

DISTRICT COURT PLEAS:
LOCAL DRUG DEALERS GO TO PRISON

THE STATE OF TEXAS VS. BRIAN DAMON SMITH:
Over the past couple of months, four local drug dealers have been sentenced to prison. On April 17, 2026, Brian Damon Smith, 52, pled to 20 years in prison for possessing m**hamphetamine with intent to deliver. The evidence reviewed by the court indicated that during a traffic stop, the defendant threw a m**h pipe over his car. In Smith’s vehicle was a bag of 56g of m**hamphetamine under the driver’s floor doormat. Smith told officers he would give the m**hamphetamine to women in exchange for s*x.

THE STATE OF TEXAS VS. ALLEN SCHAFFER:
On January 14, 2026, Allen Schaffer, 38, known as “Capone,” was found guilty by an Aransas County Jury of Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver 4-200g. The evidence showed that an officer was on patrol and saw Schaffer driving. The officer knew Schaffer to have open warrants. Prior to towing the vehicle, an inventory was done of the vehicle. A scale was in the driver’s side door pocket. Stuck under the lower dash console was a piece of plastic baggie that ended up being approximately 12.7g of m**hamphetamine. A punishment hearing was held on April 22, 2026 in which Judge Patrick Flanigan sentenced him to 30 years in prison. At the sentencing hearing, the State put on evidence implicating Schaffer in a burglary, forgery and multiple thefts, as well as other drug cases.

THE STATE OF TEXAS VS. BRAXTON MASON
On June 10, 2026, Braxton Mason, 25, pled guilty to possessing multiple substances with intent to deliver, including co***ne and m**hamphetamine. He pled to 18 years in prison for those charges and to 7 years for possessing a fi***rm while being a felon. The evidence stipulated to showed that Mason was stopped for failing to use his turn signal. When Mason exited the vehicle, drug paraphernalia fell out of his pockets. When the officers went to cuff Mason, he took off running and fell in a ditch. In his vehicle were vapes, edible mushrooms, jars of m**hamphetamine, and co***ne in multiple baggies. The gun was found hidden in the vehicle.

THE STATE OF TEXAS VS. MICHAEL ESCOBEDO VARGAS
On June 24, 2026, Michael Escobedo Vargas, 42, pled to 12 years in prison for possessing m**hamphetamine with intent to deliver. The stipulated evidence showed that Vargas was the passenger in a car that was stopped for failing to use his blinker. The driver of the car gave Police permission to search the car, and on the floorboard directly by Vargas’ feet a small amount of black tar he**in was found. After being placed under arrest Vargas was transported to Aransas County Jail, and during a standard strip search at the jail a baggie containing over 6 grams of m**hamphetamines was locate in his a**l cavity. Vargas told the jailers, “I was only holding that for someone else.”

Pictured Left to Right on the Press Release Graphic: Brian Smith, Allen Schaffer aka “Capone”, Braxton Mason aka Braxton Manson, and Michael Vargas

06/22/2026

DISTRICT COURT TRIAL OUTCOME

THE STATE OF TEXAS VS. JAMES GOODWIN

DEFENDANT GETS 60 YEARS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AND INDECENT CONTACT WITH CHILD

On June 18, 2026, an Aransas County Jury found James Goodwin, 39, guilty of one count of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and two counts of Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact. The jury was unable to make a unanimous decision on another count of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child.

The evidence at trial showed that that the Defendant was the step-father of AC1329. At night on November 4, 2023, AC1329 was at the Defendant’s home. She was 15 years old at the time. At the Defendant’s home, the Defendant took shots with AC1329 and there were videos of them shot-gunning b**r together. At one point in time, the Defendant provided AC1329 with a shot glass that contained breasts on it and instructed AC1329 to lick it. The evidence also showed that the Defendant provided alcohol to his 12-year-old step daughter as well. AC1329 had to be helped into a bedroom inside of the Defendant’s home because she was unable to stand on her own.

While six other people were sleeping inside of the home at various locations, the Defendant snuck into the bedroom where AC1329 was alone and proceeded to s*xually assault her. AC1329 testified about what she was able to remember from that night. When AC1329 was taken for a s*xual assault exam, there were male bodily fluids found on her body. On AC1329’s breast, two DNA profiles were found, one of which was 227 trillion times more likely than not to belong to the Defendant.

Prior to trial, the Defendant elected to go the Judge for punishment. The range of punishment available to the Court was 2-20 years in each count. The Defendant was not eligible for probation on any of the counts. Additionally, it was up to the Judge whether or not the sentences would be stacked. Judge Boyd W. Bauer assessed the maximum of 20 years in each count and ordered that the sentences run consecutively, meaning the Defendant’s total sentence is 60 years.

The State would like to thank the strength and courage of AC1329 for coming forward, the Aransas County Sheriff’s Office, the Bee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Driscoll Children’s Hospital. We also thank the Jury for seeing that justice was done.

Consecutively:
The sentences are served after the previous sentence has been completed - this is also referred to as stacking.

Concurrently:
The sentences are served at the same time for the amount of the longest sentence.

06/19/2026

The Aransas County Courthouse will be closed Friday, June 19 in observation of the Juneteenth holiday.
Regular business hours will resume Monday, June 22.

06/09/2026

The Law Library computer is now located in the Aransas County Public Library. Now you can access this resource on Saturdays!

05/25/2026

The Aransas County Courthouse will be closed Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day.
Regular business hours will resume Tuesday, May 26.

05/21/2026

Stay Safe From Scams: Red Flags to Watch For

Scammers Pretend to be Law Enforcement, Courts, and Bail Bonds Companies

If you notice any of the following, assume it’s a scam:
1. Requests for Immediate, Untraceable Payment:
Cash App or Venmo
Cryptocurrency
Gift cards
Cash handed to a courier or Uber driver
2. Caller ID Spoofing
Scammers can make their number appear to be:
A sheriff’s office, a police department, a jail, or a bail bond agency
3. Extreme Urgency and Pressure- Scammers thrive on panic.
“You have to do this right now”
“If you hang up, it’ll get worse”
4. Remember
Police officers do not call defendants asking for money
No government agency will offer to make charges “go away” for a quick payment
Only a Judge can set a bond-- you cannot pay extra to bond out when the Judge orders a No Bond.

Victims Rarely Get Their Money Back
Most of these scams are run by groups outside the United States. Once the money is sent, it’s quickly converted to crypto or transferred overseas. Even with law enforcement involvement, recovery is unlikely — which is why prevention is critical.

If You’ve Already Been Targeted
Report the incident to local law enforcement
Contact the real agency the caller claimed to represent
Reach out to a trusted attorney or legal office for guidance

REMEMBER: Scammers are becoming smarter and harder to detect. If you get a suspicious call hang up, check for the right number and call them back.

05/15/2026

DISTRICT COURT TRIAL OUTCOME

THE STATE OF TEXAS V. PAUL SANCO

DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR SEXUALLY TOUCHING 12-YEAR-OLD CHILD

On May 8, 2026, an Aransas County Jury found Paul Sanco, 64, guilty of one count of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and two counts of Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact.

The evidence showed that the Defendant was staying with the 12-year-old and her grandmother overnight. During the nighttime, the Defendant ended up touching the 12-year-old in a s*xually inappropriate manner. The child was taken to the hospital for a s*xual assault exam and the Child’s Advocacy Center for a forensic interview. At the hospital, swabs were taken from the child’s breast. Those swabs were compared with the Defendant’s DNA where results showed that it was 23.6 million times more likely that the DNA belonged to the Defendant rather than someone else.

When the Defendant was arrested, he provided law enforcement with an interview. In that interview, he claimed that the 12-year-old made suggestive comments towards him and exposed her body to him while inside an RV. He then claimed he went outside, smoked a cigarette, went back inside the RV and went to sleep in the bed beside the grandmother. He then claimed that as he slept, he felt a weight on top of him and saw the 12-year-old running out of the bedroom. When asked if he had touched the child in any way, the Defendant responded with a series of “No’s” that increasingly became higher pitched. When asked why his DNA would be on the child, the Defendant at first tried to say it was because she was in the same room as him. He then tried to say that his DNA would only be on her if someone put it there.

The Jury deliberated for approximately four hours before finding the Defendant guilty on all counts. After the Defendant was found guilty, the State conferred with the child’s family about an appropriate sentence. An agreement was reached that the Defendant would be sentenced to 15 years in prison in exchange for waiving his right to appeal the Jury’s decision. A lifetime protective order was also issued that ensures the Defendant cannot communicate with the victim for as long as he is alive. The Defendant will have to serve between 8.5 to 15 years on his sentences. When the Jury was asked what sentence they would have assessed, they advised they would have sentenced the Defendant to between 10-12 years in prison.

We would like to thank the Aransas County Sheriff’s Office for all their hard work on this case. We would also commend the child in this case for her bravery and courage. Additionally, we would like to thank the Jury for all of their time and attention.